Well, it’s the start of summer and what that means to me is flip flops, walks outside, beach time, rosè time and ICE CREAM TIME!

So as I was thinking about what to do for today’s live instagram cooking class I began thinking about summertime and what it means. The things I like to eat, the things I like to cook, etc. and ice cream became forefront on my mind. Especially chocolate and ice cream. The more chocolate you can get on there the better!

And then I remembered that squeeze bottle of chocolate that, when poured on top of cold ice cream, hardens to a crunchy chocolate-dare I say-candy! Magic Shell! There has to be a way to make it from scratch and it can’t be that complicated….so I did some digging and did some thinking and realized that straciatella gelato is like the original and the beginning of magic shell. You see, the way they make straciatella gelato (vanilla gelato with little shards of chocolate) is by churning the gelato at the same time drizzling melted chocolate into it. The chocolate hardens immediately and becomes these gorgeous little shards of hardened chocolate mixed in.

But we don’t want the chocolate to be “dry” and we also want it to be easily pourable. So, let’s add some fat to the chocolate! A little oil should do the trick. And now, with two ingredients you probably have at home already, you have a homemade and tasty little ice cream topper!

So enjoy your first days of summer with an ice cream treat and top it with some homemade Magic Shell-it’ll be a fun way to exit quarantine and start outdoor socializing!

Stay safe out there, Drizzlers!

xo, Kendra

Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping

Free From Top-14 Food Allergens

Makes 1 cup

• 1 cup dark chocolate morsels (my all time favorite is Enjoy Life Foods) or chopped dark chocolate
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil such as sunflower, safflower (or if you can have coconut oil that works great here!)
• Optional Add-Ins: Crushed Maldon Sea Salt for Salted Chocolate, Pinch of Cayenne Pepper for Spicy Mexican Chocolate, 1 tsp. espresso powder for Coffee Chocolate

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate with 1 Tbs. of the vegetable oil in a double boiler or in the microwave at 30 second intervals.
2. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and any flavor add-ins you’d like.
3. Let cool slightly before drizzling over the ice cream to prevent it from quickly melting. Store at room temperature for 6-7 days at room temperature. You may need to warm for a few seconds in the microwave before being able to spoon over the top.

happy foods are the best foods!